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It was a joyous celebration of the incredible hand of God upon Florida Baptist churches at the recent Florida Baptist State Convention. We heard exciting reports of what God is doing through churches around the state of Florida. The impact of your Cooperative Program receipts in Florida and beyond anchored the family gathering at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater.

A special word of thanks to Pastor Willy Rice and the team at Calvary for hosting the 2016 annual meeting. The hospitality extended to all in attendance set the tone for this dynamic meeting. Thank you for blessing Florida Baptists with your generosity and friendliness. We are very grateful that you opened your doors and lives to us during our meeting.

The report given concerning the impact of our decision in 2015 to move to a 51/49 split of Cooperative Program receipts was powerful. The SBC Executive Committee recently shared that CP receipts have increased by $6 million from the previous year. Florida Baptists churches are responsible for more than $3 million, or 50 percent plus, of this increase. CP giving from Florida increased from $11.8 million in 2014-15 to more than $14.8 million in 2015-16. The IMB recently shared that its 2017 budget includes increasing the missionary force, and your CP gifts are enabling this change. The anticipated amount to be advanced to the SBC CP in 2017 is $15.3 million. Thank you Florida Baptists for your deep commitment to the Great Commission!

The worship, preaching, testimonies and decisions were inspiring. It was an uplifting and inspiring family gathering. I thank you for the privilege of serving our Florida Baptist churches. My prayer is that 2017 will be another year of celebrating individuals being saved, churches being planted and revitalized, ministry continuing to impact families, and that Jesus Christ will be honored and glorified in all that we do together as Florida Baptist churches.

Tommy Green is executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. This article first appeared on his blog.